Ethiopia has reaffirmed its commitment to concluding World Trade Organization (WTO) accession negotiations during the Eighth Working Party meeting in Geneva, positioning membership as a top national priority.

The Ethiopian delegation, led by Trade Minister and Chief Negotiator Yasmin Wohabrebbi and accompanied by State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hadera Abera, underscored that the renewed effort builds on recent macroeconomic reforms. The current administration has accelerated the accession process, first initiated in 2003, and successfully reviewed more than 460 legal instruments to align them with global trading standards.

Minister Yasmin expressed readiness to finalize bilateral market access negotiations while calling for a flexible, development-sensitive approach from WTO member states. WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang welcomed the reforms and expressed support for integrating Ethiopia’s 130-million-person market into the global trading system.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WTO accession is expected to bolster Ethiopia’s economic growth, expand its export capacity and facilitate deeper integration into regional frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).